Gas generator



June lfi, 1931. w. MINRATH GA'S GENERATOR Filed Sept. 26, 1929 INVENTOR M ILL l/i/V fi/m/R/ln/ A TTOKNEY chamber and out of; contactwiththe solid .ber from the. communicating chamber for .70.

because'it was costly,'difficult to make, easily Fig.2 illustrates a sectional View taken on 85 I w tor (were the'complicated structureand nuni- Fig. A depicts the perforated grid used in 90 V end thereof, the difliculty of removing snare My improved gas generator will be de- 95 tO the instability of the tall elongated crock thereto,

Patented June 16, 1931 a 1,810,672 1 D STATES. ATE T O WILLIAM MINRATH, on E Yemen.

Gas GENERATOR A s (imm nse September 24131929. Serial m.se5,254.-

, The present invention relates to gas genor container for acid and to the practical erators, and more particularly to gas gendifficulties of constructinga charge holder. erators of the type wherein the generation of strong enough for large and heavy charges of gasiseifected by the reaction. of 'a solid ma-. solid: material and of. lifting a large holder '5 terialwith aliquid usually of'a corrosive charged with j solid material in and out of character. 1 thetallcrock. i i In the generation-of gases, such as hydro- .It is an object of the present invention to gen sulfide, carbon dioxide or the like, a solid provide a gas generator which overcomes material (e. g. iron sulfide, calcium ,;carp0n the aforementioned objections and .disad- 1U ate, etc.) was placed'ina gas chamber and vantages. i 7 60 an acid aqueous solution, for instance hydro- Another object is to provide a gas genera-.1: 'chloric:or sulfuric, was placed ina comtorwhich has a simpleconstruction,which municating chamber, As the gas pressure dehas relatively few parts, which is strong and creased in the gas chamber, acid flowed therestable, Which is economical and easy to make, infrom the communicating chamber and reand which is convenient and easyto use and G5 act-ed With't-he solid material to cause the charge. 4

generation of more. gas and more pressure. 0 further, object isthe provision of a gas When the gaslpressurel increased high generator having 1a permanent,.stationary enough, theac'id Wasforced. out ofth'egas Wall or partition separating the 'gas chain material. 7 The acid thus surged back. and acid or thelike and-having a stationary gas forth from the communicating chamber-to chamberfor'the charge of solid materialinthe gas chamber during theoperation of the corporated integral with the generator. p generator.- The aforesaid actionTrequired A still further object is to provide a gas an apparatus capable of resistingthe cor-' generator which is capable of being conrosionof acid, of withstanding gas pressure structed of practically any size ranging from without" leaking, and aholding the charge relatively small laboratory models to rela of. solid material and acid in-separate but 'tively large industrialmodels. communicating chambers. Varioustypes of Other objects and advantages of the invendeviceshaveb-een proposed for gas genera tion will become/apparent from the folloW- tors of. the character hereindescrib ed. Of ing'description taken in conjunction with these generators, the more important were the accompanying drawings, in which: the glass type and the earthenware-glass Fig. .l is a longitudinalsectional view of type. The glass generator was objectionable a gas generator embodying my invention; 1

knocked over and broken; cumbersome to the line 22 of Fig.1," I charge and refill with fresh materials, awk Y 1 Fig! 3 repres ents. a plan view of the gas. ward to. clean and limitedin size. ;The more generator shown in Fig.1 with; the covers serious-objections tothe earthenware generaremoved;

her of parts used, the necessity of disman my'gas generator; and 1 g tling practically the entire generator every Figs. 5 and6 are fragmentary views of my time it was re-charged, the use of a'clumsy gas generator show ngmodlfied cover clampgas outlet pipe havinga gooseneck at, the ing devices.

placing the said clumsy pipe with each. scribed in conjunction "with the generation charging operatiom thenecessity of lifting of hydrogen sulfidevfo'r the purposes of i1- the holder'for the charge by a handlejwetted lustration, although it is. to" be understood with acid and the limitation of the size due that the generator is notito be limited The reference character 1 designates a. container which has a relatively large base and a relatively low height. Partition'or wall 2 divides the container into a gas-tight charge and gas chamber 8 and a communicating chamber el'for acid. The container is preferably made of earthenware but other suitable materials may also be used. For instance, iron silicide or other metallic materials which are capable of resisting the corrosive action of the acid to be used in the gen-- eration of gas or the corrosive actionof the reactants and of the products of reaction.

In the present embodiment of my invention, the container 1 is illustrated as having a rectangular shape and flat walls. A construction of this type is preferred because of the stability and rigidity of the generator even in the larger sizes. In addition, the generator hasa larger capacity than a corresponding oval or round container and can be fabricated of straight elements or parts. These and other advantages make the'instant typ e of container highly desirable.

rojecting from the walls 5 of charge chamber 3 are a plurality of supports 6 which are preferably of a cantilever type. Seated upon these supports is a removable grid 7 for supporting. a charge of solid material 8 which may be iron sulfide, calcium carbonate or the like depending upon the gas to be generated. The grid is preferably providedwith a handle 9 to facilitate lifting the grid in and out'of the charge chamber. To permit passage of a liquid, such asan acid, through the grid, a plurality of perforations or holes 10 are provided on each side of the handle. 7

Considerably below the supports, a bottom 11 is located which slopes downwardly toward an outlet 12. In this outlet a drain cock 13 or the like is inserted to control the discharge of liquid, slud e, etc. from the container 1. The liquid not only discharges from chamber 3 but also from chamber 4 via a piura-iity of ports 14. In the present generator the ports are shown as consisting of two rows of round holes located-just above bottom 11.

Placed over charge chamber 3 is a cover 15 which is provided with a knob- 16 and a gas outlet 17. For conducting the gas from the charge chamber 3, a. glass pipe (not shown) or the like is inserted in outlet 17 in a well known manner, as by a rubber stopper provided with a. hole. The gas flows through the pipe and is led to theplace of consumption.

i To insure a gas-tight condition in chamber 3, a gasket 18', such asa ring of rubber, is placed between the rim'19 of the cover 15 and a flange 20 which projects from the fl'at side walls of container 1'. Flange 20 is reinforced with a plurality ofwebs 21 which are disposed of at intervals about the periph- .in order to avoida metal to earthenware contact. By screwing the clamps closed the chargechamber 3 is made gas-tight. Of course, sealing compounds, such as petroleum jelly, greases, waxes or other materials, can be applied to gasket 18 to further insure a. gas-tight joint.

For covering acid or liquid chamber 4., I prefer to employ a cover 2e whichhas a handle 25', a rim 26 and-a projecting shoulder 27. The rim 26 seats upon flange 19 which preferably extends continuously around the entire periphery of the container, The-inner side of rim 26 is supported by aninwardly extending flange 28. As no gas pressure is generated in the acid chamber no gaskets or the like are required between cover. 24 and the container.

A modified clamping arrangement for cover 15 is illustrated in Fig. 5. In this arrangement cover 15 is seated upon containerl in the usual "way. Gasket 18 is interposed. betweenrim 19 and flange 20. A clamp is slipped about the container and over cover 15 with its clamping heads 51 located directly under flange 20. Apairof thumb screws 52 are capable of tighteningv the clamp and making-a gastightjoint between cover 15 and the container. Vashers 53 are preferably placed between clamping heads 51 and: flange 20 and washers 5 1 between the inner ends of thumb screws 52 and the top of cover 15 in order to avoid a direct metal to earthenware contact. Vvith this arrangement only one largeclamping frame is needed instead of a plurality of small clamps. lVhen this modified clamp is used the webs 21 at the very corners of the containerare omitted to permit the clamp to beslid under flange 20. i

A further modification of the clamping arrangement is shown in Fig. 6. This modification utilizes a plurality of clamping bolts 75 which are disposed of about three sides of cover 15 and which are pivoted on pivots 7 6. Each clamping bolt is capable of swinging about its pivot in mating slots 78 formed in rim 19 and flange 20. Thumb screw 77 is adapted to draw the cover home upon gasket 18 and to make a gas-tight joint between cover 15' and container 1.

The operation of my'improved generator is obvious. to one skilled inthe art. A charge of iron sulfide, for instance, is placed upon the grid in the charge chamber. Cover- 15 is then. placed upon gasket 18'which is seated upon flange 20 of container 1. The clamps 22'are thereuponitightened' and al gas-tight llO joint is made betweencover 15 and thecon tamer. Avalve outlet pipe is-inserted andsea-ledwithin gas outlet 17 Cock 13 is, of

course,'closed so as'to render the charge cham- Ilpzr fluid tight' when liquid covers inlet ports After the charge chamber has been prepared in readiness, a reactingliquid 30, such as sulfuric acid in dilutedcondition, is placed in chamber 4. The acid flows through holes 14 andcomes into cont-actlwith iron-sulfide held upon grid'T. WVhen the acidand the sulfide cont-act witheach other they react to form hydrogen sulfide gas which rises tothe top of the charge chamber. As the gas accumulates a pressure is built-up within the,

charge chamber which tends to overcome the static head of acid in chamber 4 and to push the acid which is in the bottomof the charge chamber back into chamber 4. Whensui'liclent pressure has been reached the acid isforced outof contact with the iron sulfide and no further generation of gas occurs. As the valve in the outlet 'hnein outlet 17 is; opened and gas 1s drawn elf for use, the pressure in thecha'rge chamber 3 falls; With a sufii'cient fall of gas pressure the static head of acid in chamber 'tfagain forces a'cidinto contact wlth the sulfide to causethe generation of more gas. Thls procedure, as is well known continues With the use of the as 7 line is preferably opened to aliquid seal'or generator.

, ll hen the' charge oflsulfide has been consumed-and is no longer capable of'generating further "amounts of gas, cock 13 is opened to drawoif the spent acid fromthegenerator and any sludge accumulated in the bottom of the charge chamber. The valve in the outlet some liquid or materialcapable of absorbing any residual gasremaining in the charge" chamber. After the acld 1s drawn oif, covers 15 and 24 canbe removed and grid 7 lifted out of the container.; All of the parts can be thoroughly washed with water or some other suitable medium and prepared for re-charging- I11 re-charging the apparatus, grid 7 is first replaced and a'charge of sulfide, for instance, is put on the top thereof; Cover 15 is next clamped in position and 'co'ck '13 is closed. Acid can now be filled into chamber 4. This acid flows through holes, ltand comes into contact withvth-e charge of iron sulfideto generate hydrogen sulfide gas as described hereinabove. Q 7

When carbon dioxide gas is tobe gener- 'ated, calcium" carbonate is ,pr'eferablyused as the solid chargeandhydrochloric acid as the liquid. In the generation of acetylene, calcium carbide is placed in the'charge chamber" and plain water in the liquid chamber; For the generation of other materials are to be used. v

It is to be observed that although I have gases, appropriate 7 I V tight joint with the top of said charge chamdescribed a specific embodiment of my invention, the invention is not restricted to such particular embodiment Various modifica tions in detail and in the arrangement of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the claims. For example, instead of providing a plurality of supports 6 for the grid 7 a'continuousiring or shoulder may be cast integral with the inner wall 5 of chamber 3. Thenagain, cover 24 may be clamped in place like cover 15-and a hole provided-in c'overQ-et through which gas can bepumped to place the liquid or acid under pressure, thus placing the generated. gas in thecharge chamher under higher pressures than normal. The available gas pressure may also be' increased by building chamber 4; higher so that the static head can be increased to obtain the desired pressure. Similarly, othertypes of covers and clamping and sealing arrangements can be employed. Furthermore, a set of legs can be cast or made upon the bottom.

grid 7 to replace the set of supports 6 which project from the wall of the charge'chams 'ber. -Moreover, thegenerator can be em-Y bodied in the form of cylindrical gas generators as well asrectangular generators as here-v in described.

I claim: r i 1. 'A gas generator comprising a containerhaving a rectangular shape, a'partition Wall dividing said container-into a charge cham' dividing saidcontainer into a charge chamber and a liquid chamber, a plurality of ports provided' in the lower part of saidwall, a grid mounted in said charge chamber above the heightofsald ports, a cover makmg a gas tight joint with the top of said charge cham ber,'a gasket interposed between said cover and container, and a'gas outlet provided in the upperpart of said charge chamberfor withdrawing gas therefrom.

4.;A as generator compr sing acontainer havin airectan ula-rlsha e a artition wall" dividing said icontainerginto a charge cham-r berand a'liquid chamber, a plurality of'ports provided in thelower part of said Wall, a grid mounted in said charge chamber above the height 'of said ports, a cover making a gas her, clamping means to'squeeze the cover' mounted in said charge chamber above the firmly'against said gasket to produce a gastight oint, and a gas outlet provlded inthe upper part of said charge chamber for with-V drawing gas therefrom.

5. A gas generator comprising a container having a rectangular shape, a partition wall dividing said container into a charge'chamber-and a liquid chamber, a plurality of ports provided in the lower'part of said wall, a grid mounted in said charge chamber above the height of said ports, means to'support said grid at said height, a cover making a gas tight joint with the top of said charge chair her, and a gas outlet provided in the upper port of said charge chamber for withdrawing gastherefrom.

6. A gas generator comprisin container having a rectangular shape, a partition wall dividing said container into a charge chamher and a liquid chamber, a plurality of ports provided in the lower part of said wall, a grid height of said ports, a drain cock for emptying said container of fluid material, a cover making a gas-tight joint wit the top of sait charge chamber, and a gas out-let provided in the upper part of said charge chamber for withdrawing gas therefrom.

7. A gas generator comprising an earthenware container having substantially a rectangular shape, a partition wall extending interiorly of said container to divide it into a charge chamber and a liquid chamber, said charge chamber having a smaller cross section than said liquid chamber, communicating means incorporated in said partition wall for permitting liquid to flow between said chambers, an earthenware grid mounted in the lower part of said charge chamber above said communicatlng means, means for supporting said grid in the aforesaid position, a flange positioned about the periphery of the top of the container and on top of aid partition wall, an earthenware cover having a rim to mate with, said flange about the top of the charge chamber, a gasket interposed between said flange and said rim, clamping means for holding said cover against said flange ina gas-tight condition, a gas outlet provided in the said cover, a drain cock located in the lower. part of said container, and a cover for the top of the liquid chamber.

8. A gas generator comprising a container, a transverse partition extending from one wall of, said container to anotherand dividing the same into a charge chamber for solid material. and a liquid chamber having its top open to the atmosphere, communicating means provided atthe lower portion of said wall for providing fluid communication for liquid'to flow into said charge chamber and contact with solid material to generate gas and then to flow back into the liquid chamber upon an increase of gas pressure in excess. of the static head of the liquid in said liquid chamber, a grid mounted in said charge chamber above the bottom thereof for supporting a charge of solid material, a removable cover making a gas-tight joint with the top of said charge chamber whereby a gas storage space is provided therein extending higher than the level of liquid in said liquid chamber, and a gas outlet provided in theupper part of said charge chamber for withdrawing gas from said gas storage space.

9. A gas generator comprising an earthenware container, a transverse partition extending fromone wall of said container to an-' other thereof and from the bottom to the top thereof and being integral therewith, said partition dividing said container into a charge chamber for solid material and a liquid chamber for liquid capable of reacting with said solid material to generate gas, communicating means provided at the lower portion of said wall for providing fluid com munication for liquid to fiowinto said charge chamber and contact with solid material to generate gas and then to flow hack into the liquid chamber upon an increase of gas pressure in excess of the static head of the liquid in said liquid chamber, a grid mounted on said charge chamber above the bottom thereof for supporting acharge of solid material, a removable. cover making a gas-tight joint with the top of said charge chamber whereby a gas storage space is provided thereinextending higher than the levelof liquid in said liquid chamber, and a gas outlet provided in the upper part of said charge chamber for withdrawing gas from said gas storage.

10. A gas generator comprising 2. container, a wall dividing said container into a charge chamber for solid material and a liquid chamber for liquid capable of reacting with said solid material to generate gas, communicating means provided at the lower portion of said wall for providing fluid communication for liquid to flow into said charge chamber and contact with said solid mate rial to generate gas and then to flow back into the liquid chamber upon an increase of gas pressure in excess of the static head of the liquid in said liquid chamber, a grid mounted in said charge chamber approximately above the height of said communicating means, a removable cover fitting only over. an upper portion of said charge chamber and making a gas-tight joint therewith whereby agas storage space is provided therein extending higher than the level of liquid in said liquid chamber, and a gas outlet providedin theupper part of said charge chamber for withdrawing gas from said gas storage. a

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM MINRATH. 

